Design of Steel Plated Structures with Finite Elements

Due to the relatively large slenderness of plated structures, the proof of adequate buckling resistance is crucial for dimensioning. Plate buckling is a stability problem of a compression-loaded plate and is generally characterized by failure of the structure prior to achieving plastic component resistance. The stability verification of welded plated structures assisted by finite element analysis (FEM) is becoming increasingly prevalent in applied engineering. The rules and examples given in this book might illustrate the correct application of the numerical models and give background information on the FEM-based design of welded plated structures.

Aside from technical background information on calculation methods and software requirements, modelling, solution settings, evaluation, and verification as a key part of this manual, benchmark examples and worked examples are given. They not only allow the user to better understand the procedure and the background but can also serve as test examples to prove the validity of their own numerical calculations. We are sure that this manual will contribute to improved knowledge of the application of FEM for the design of plated structures, and thereby enhance the acceptance of FEM design in practice.

Benjamin Braun is managing partner at engineering firm Space Structures GmbH, Berlin, Germany. Formerly he was a scientific researcher at the Institute of Structural Design of the University of Stuttgart where he was in charge of co-writing the German National Annex to EN 1993-1-5 first generation and secretary of ECCS Technical Working Group 8.3 "Plate buckling".

Rolando Chacón is associate professor at the Technical University of Catalonia, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is an active contributor to the ECCS Technical Committee 8 "Stability" and has also participated in the ECCS Technical Working Group 8.3 "Plate Buckling". His research fields include experimental and non-linear numerical analysis of steel structures in phenomena associated with plate buckling and ductility.

Hervé Degée is professor at Hasselt University (Belgium) and head of the Construction Engineering Research Group. He is a member of the ECCS Technical Working Group 8.3 "Plate buckling" and of the CEN/TC250/SC3/WG5 and WG22 committees. He was Project Team leader for the second generation of EN 1993-1-5. He is active in different research fields related to structural design, modelling and testing.

Yves Duchêne is an engineer at the design office Greisch in Liège, Belgium. He is manager of the R&D Department where he is mainly involved in the development of a FEM structural analysis software.

László Dunai is professor at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Structural Engineering. He is member of ECCS Technical Working Group 8.3 "Plate buckling" and of the CEN/TC250/SC3/WG5 committees. He is convenor of the CEN/TC250/SC3/WG22 and leader of the developer team for the new prEN 1993-1-14 ?Design assisted by finite element analysis?.

Balázs Kövesdi is associate professor at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Structural Engineering. He is secretary of ECCS Technical Working Group 8.3 "Plate buckling" and member of CEN/TC250/SC3/WG5; WG13 and WG22 committees. He was also member of the Project Team for the development of the second generation EN 1993-1-5.

Ulrike Kuhlmann is professor for steel, timber and composite structures at the Institute of Structural Design of the University of Stuttgart. She is member of ECCS Technical Committee 8 "Stability" and chair of the Technical Working Group 8.3 "Plate buckling" and of CEN/TC250/SC3/WG5, the committee closely related to this document. She has been chairing CEN/TC250/SC3 ?Design of Steel Structures? committee from 2009 to 2022 and as a leader of this team, she guided the development process of the second generation of Eurocode 3.

Gerhard Lener was professor at the University of Innsbruck, Department of Structural Engineering and Material Sciences. He was member of ECCS Technical Working Group 8.3 "Plate buckling" and of the CEN/TC250/SC3/WG5, as well as of WG9 responsible for EN 1993-1-9 Fatigue and of WG22. He participated in the Project Team for the second generation of EN 1993-1-5. Significant part of his research work is related to the FEM-based design of steel structures.

Vahid Pourostad is scientific researcher at the University of Stuttgart, Institute for Structural Design. His research work is closely linked to the research activities of the ECCS Technical Working Group 8.3 "Plate buckling" and of the CEN/TC250/SC3/WG5 committees and to the analysis of steel plated structures using finite element modelling.

Franc Sinur was researcher at the University of Ljubljana, Chair for Metal Structures. He actively contributed to the research work of the ECCS Technical Working Group 8.3 "Plate buckling" and of the CEN/TC250/SC3/WG5. His research activities were closely related to the stability behaviour of steel plated structures and FEM-based design of steel structures.

Ralph Timmers is a scientific researcher at the University of Innsbruck, Department of Structural Engineering and Material Sciences. He was a Proxy Member of ECCS Technical Working Group 8.3 "Plate buckling".

European Convention for Constructional Steelworks - ECCS, TC8 Structural Stability, TWG 8.3 Plate Buckling, Chairperson: Prof. U. Kuhlmann, Secretary: Dr. B. Braun